Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

Possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers revealed in new study

Date:

June 27, 2011

Source:

University of Cincinnati

Summary:

It's considered a rite of passage among young people -- acting out their independence through heavy, episodic drinking. But a new study is showing how binge drinking among adolescents and young adults could be causing serious damage to a brain that's still under development at this age.

Share This

It's considered a rite of passage among young people -- acting out their independence through heavy, episodic drinking. But a new University of Cincinnati study, the first of its kind nationally, is showing how binge drinking among adolescents and young adults could be causing serious damage to a brain that's still under development at this age.

Related Articles

Researcher Tim McQueeny, a doctoral student in the UC Department of Psychology, is presenting the findings at the 34th annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Atlanta.

High-resolution brain scans on a sample of 29 weekend binge drinkers, aged 18 to 25, found that binge-drinking -- consuming four or more drinks in one incident for females and five or more drinks for males -- was linked to cortical-thinning of the pre-frontal cortex, the section of the brain related to executive functioning such as paying attention, planning and making decisions, processing emotions and controlling impulses leading to irrational behavior.

McQueeny examined the brain's gray matter, the parts of brain cells that do the thinking, receiving and transmitting of messages. "We have seen evidence that binge drinking is associated with reduced integrity in the white matter, the brain's highways that communicate neuron messaging, but alcohol may affect the gray matter differently than the white matter," he says.

The pilot study examined whether the researchers could see a relationship between gray matter thickness and binge drinking among college-aged young adults. They found that greater number of drinks per binge is associated with cortical thinning. McQueeny is now interested in pursuing future research to examine whether binge drinking is affecting the brain's gray matter and white matter differently, or if they're both equally affected.

"Alcohol might be neurotoxic to the neuron cells, or, since the brain is developing in one's 20s, it could be interacting with developmental factors and possibly altering the ways in which the brain is still growing," he says.

The findings affect a significant population. A publication from the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that 42 percent of young American adults between 18 and 25 have engaged in binge drinking.

McQueeny adds that the depressant effects of alcohol emerge later in life, so for young adults, the effect of alcohol can be very stimulating and activate tolerance over time.

"In the past, in terms of what's known about the physical toll of alcohol, the focus on neurobiology has been in pathological populations and adult populations who were disproportionately male, so there was a significant gap in research in terms of when people started risky drinking. We're looking at developmental aspects at an age when binge drinking rates are highest, and we're also looking at gender effects," says McQueeny. "There might actually be indications of early micro-structural damage without the onset of pathological symptoms such as abuse, or dependence on alcohol."

McQueeny's advisor, UC Psychology Professor Krista Lisdahl Medina, served as senior author on the paper. She adds, "Our preliminary evidence has found a correlation between increased abstinence of binge drinking and recovery of gray matter volume in the cerebellum. Additional research examining brain recovery with abstinence is needed."

In terms of educating young adults about responsible drinking, Medina says there appear to be better efforts about communicating the dangers of drinking and driving. "However, people can still be doing damage to their brain as a result of the prevalence and acceptance of binge drinking. There is also evidence that drinking below the binge level may be less harmful," she says.

The high-resolution imaging was conducted at UC's Center for Imaging Research.

The research was supported by a $300,000 grant awarded to Medina's lab by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. McQueeny was also awarded a University Research Council Summer Graduate Fellowship.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Cincinnati. The original article was written by Dawn Fuller. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

University of Cincinnati. "Possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers revealed in new study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 June 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110627134524.htm>.

University of Cincinnati. (2011, June 27). Possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers revealed in new study. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110627134524.htm

University of Cincinnati. "Possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers revealed in new study." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110627134524.htm (accessed March 3, 2015).

More From ScienceDaily

More Mind & Brain News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — The literary great Marcel Proust wore ear-stoppers because he was unable to filter out irrelevant noise -- and lined his bedroom with cork to attenuate sound. Now new research suggests why the ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Attendance at schools exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution is linked to slower cognitive development among 7- to 10-year-old children in Barcelona, according to a new ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — No significant change in home habits of smokers have been observed in the aftermath of a ban on smoking in public spaces, researchers report. Greater inspiration to kick the habit likely comes from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Heart function has been associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease through a new study. Participants with decreased heart function, measured by cardiac index, were two to ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Although sedatives are often administered before surgery, a randomized trial finds that among patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia, receiving the sedative lorazepam before ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Why do people shake hands? A new study suggests one of the reasons for this ancient custom may be to check out each other's odors. Even if we are not consciously aware of this, handshaking may ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — It appears that stress markers in unemployed people can be found, independent of smoking, alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity. Results from a study suggest that long-term unemployment may be ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — On the heels of an American nationwide measles outbreak comes a report that campaigns aimed at scaring people about the consequences of non-vaccination might not be as effective as many think. ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Doctors write millions of prescriptions a year for drugs to calm the behavior of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. But non-drug approaches actually work better, and carry ... full story

Related Stories

Oct. 21, 2014 — Binge drinking in early adulthood is associated with an increased likelihood of high blood pressure in males, while low to moderate alcohol use in early adulthood is associated with a decreased ... full story

Mar. 3, 2014 — Studies examining the potential health benefits of moderate drinking generally focus on average levels of drinking rather than drinking patterns. A new study shows that, among older moderate ... full story

Apr. 23, 2013 — Frequent binge drinking in college can cause more than a hangover. Regularly consuming multiple drinks in a short window of time can cause immediate changes in circulation that increase an otherwise ... full story

Jan. 30, 2013 — There is growing evidence for the lasting impact of alcohol on the brain. Excessive alcohol use accounts for 4% of the global burden of disease, and binge drinking particularly is becoming an ... full story

Feb. 7, 2011 — Binge drinking is often considered to be a problem of towns and cities, but new research from Germany shows that binge drinking in rural areas is more of a problem than previously ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.